cloudstack-users mailing list archives

Hi Matthew,
You analysis is correct except following,
>I must mention that the same Compute Node that ran sparse_dd or mounted Secondary Storage
is not always the same. It appears the Management Server is simply round-robining through
the list of >Compute Nodes and using the first one that is available.
I'm pretty sure mount and copy are using the same XenServe host.
I think the issue is the backup takes a long time because the data volume is big and network
rate is low.
You can increase "BackupSnapshotWait" in global configuration table to let the backup operation
finish.
Since CS takes the advantage of XenServer image format VHD, it uses VHD to do snapshot and
clone, it requires snapshot to be backed up through XenServer host.
The ideal solution for this issue might be leverage storage snapshot and clone functionality,
Then snapshot back up is executed by storage host, relieve some of the limitation.
Currently CS doesn't support this, it is not hard to support this after Edison finishes storage
frame change, it should be just another storage plug-in.
When CS uses storage server snapshot and clone function, CS needs to consider number of snapshot
, number of volume limitation of storage server.
Anthony
From: Matthew Hartmann [mailto:mhartmann@tls.net]
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2012 9:08 AM
To: Cloudstack Users
Cc: Cloudstack Developers
Subject: XenServer & VM Snapshots
Hello! I'm hoping someone can help me troubleshoot the following issue:
I have a client who has a 960G data volume which contains their VM's Exchange Data Store.
When starting a snapshot, I found that a process is started on one of my Compute Nodes titled
"sparse_dd". I found that this process is then sending the output of "sparse_dd" through another
Compute Node's xapi before placing it into the "snapshot store" on Secondary Storage. It appears
that this is part of the bottle neck as all of our systems are connected via gigabit link
and should not take 15+ hours to create a snapshot. The following is the behavior that I have
analyzed from within my environment:
1) Snapshot is started (either via Manual or Scheduled).
2) Compute Node 1 "processes the snapshot" by exposing the VDI which "sparse_dd" then
creates a "thin provisioned" snapshot.
3) The output of sparse_dd is delivered over HTTP to xapi on Compute Node 2 where the
Management Server mounted Secondary Storage.
4) Compute Node 2 (receiving the snapshot via xapi) stores the snapshot in the Secondary
Storage mount point.
Based on the behavior, I have devise the following logic that I believe CloudStack is utilizing:
1) CloudStack creates a "snapshot VDI" via XenServer Pool Master's API.
2) CloudStack finds a Compute Node that can mount Secondary Storage.
3) CloudStack finds a Compute Node that can run "sparse_dd".
4) CloudStack uses available Compute node to output the VDI to xapi on the Compute Node
that mounted Secondary Storage.
I must mention that the same Compute Node that ran sparse_dd or mounted Secondary Storage
is not always the same. It appears the Management Server is simply round-robining through
the list of Compute Nodes and using the first one that is available.
Does anyone have any input on the issue I'm having or analysis of how CloudStack/XenServer
snapshots operate?
Thanks!
Cheers,
Matthew
Matthew Hartmann
Systems Administrator | V: 812.378.4100 x 850 | E: mhartmann@tls.net
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